Eritrea releases 80 Yemen fishermen

Eritrean authorities released on Thursday 80 Yemeni fishermen from Al-Hudaydah governorate, days after detaining them in international waters.

Pro-Houthi Al-Thawra newspaper quoted Head of the General Authority for Fisheries in the Red Sea Hashim Ali Al-Danai stating that the Eritrean authorities released 80 fishermen from Al-Hudaydah governorate after three days of detention.

He added that the fishermen were arrested in Yemeni territorial waters and taken on an Emirati boat to the island of Harmil for investigation.

In December 2020, Eritrean authorities released dozens of Yemeni fishermen arrested less than a year ago near international waters in the Red Sea.

Eritrean authorities have been known to pursue Yemeni fishermen in Yemeni and international waters, detaining them and confiscating their equipment, while taking advantage of the unstable situation in Yemen.